Consider it done when Alice drops in again — to commit suicide. All this and a lemming, too: Alain finds a feisty rodent clogging their pipes.

Lemmings have a reputation (in reality, undeserved) for committing mass suicide when their population spikes.

Is suicide in the air? Or in the water? And why does Benedicte start acting angry and volatile — you know, like Alice?

The answer lies in a twisted tale that unfolds too slowly for much dramatic impact, yet entertains with creepy atmosphere.

More disturbing than thrilling, Lemming, like Alice, overstays its welcome, but does get around to a finishing kick.

The cast sells the weirdness with straight-faced conviction, which is easy enough for Alain and Bénédicte. They're a match made in a heaven of unruffled feathers. Hold the passion, please — we're French.

Yet Lemming's closest ancestor may be another French-made film: Roman Polanski's The Tenant, about a man obsessed with a suicidal woman. Each shows a good rule of thumb: Steer clear of suicide as inspiration. Besides, lemmings have it covered.